Tag Archives: dolphins

many many months have passed since the campaign went public. on Sunday, Ric O’ Barry touched down at Changi Airport to spend a few days here explaining the need for the campaign and hoping that RWS will at least have a chat with him. on tuesday, ACRES arranged for a dialogue session with him. well, the truth is, as excited as i was, having this wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity to meet this man, i knew we were gathering for a very sad reason. and just like what was mentioned during the Biodiversity Symposium, the target audience we would have loved to see wasnt there. members of the public who dont know what this issue is all about should have turned up. fans of RWS who wonder why some of us are petitioning for the release of the 25 miserable dolphins should have turned up. but yet again, it was those who didnt need convincing who turned up.

many of us have been writing to RWS for replies addressing the concerns we have over the plight of the remaining dolphins. Ric wrote a letter too. not one, not two. and yet, RWS claims they never received the letters. ACRES wrote in to RWS asking for a mtg. RWS declined a mtg with him, saying it felt no need for a debate. well, we know they have something to hide because they refuse to alleviate our concerns by answering the questions.we know they have something to hide.

ACRES has evidence of how dolphin training is happening in the tiny enclosure before it is brought to RWS in 2012. this is what RWS needs to do to train the dolphins before they appear in front of the millions of inhumane audiences who smile at them being tortured.

dolphins are social creatures. once again, i say, they NEED vast oceans to swim the distances and at that speeds. they do flips and turns and blow bubbles and play with things, but NOT at the instruction of the trainers who refuse to feed them unless they do the tricks. they are deprived of the sounds/currents/interaction they get in the wild. “the primary sense of dolphins is sounds. putting them in a concrete box is a sensory deprivation” they said there will be no dolphin shows, but they said there will be exercise sessions for dolphins which the visitors to RWS can see. why twist words when the ultimate objective is still to get ppl to pay money to watch dolphins? so tell me which part of dolphins shows does not reek of animal cruelty? “Why would they go forward with such a bad idea that is so obviously wrong?”

Even CNN covered the news.

yet RWS does not want to reply to the concerns raised. why hide if they are sure that their cause of captive dolphins is for education and conservation is ethical? “Real education is about knowing all the reasons and making an educated decision” so here’s pleading RWS to have a discussion, learn the concerns and consequences and make the right ethical decision.

ppl did ask whether dolphins stand a better chance living longer when kept captive. well, the reply was that if you were to be stuck in a room (you cant leave, obviously) with food delivered to you everyday. you would survive. there’s no question about that. surviving is not an issue. but surely you’d want to go out for a walk someday. talk to friends perhaps. enjoy the wind. so, “dolphins may survive in captivity. but its not about the quantity of life.. its the quality of life that matters.”

and for those who think that they might never have the opportunity to see dolphins upclose. well, there are ALOT of animals you might not get to see upclose he said. does it mean that everytime you want to see an animal from the wild, you got to capture it and bring it down and cage it up and exhibit it? ppl got to learn to curb their demands. there has to be a balance between interest and what can be achieved. a positive example of how wild animals can be enjoyed is whale watching. it seems that more money has been made from whale watching tours than killing whales through all the years of history.

dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals and they should NOT be kept captive. it is pure animal torture and is totally unethical. Ric described it as one of Nature’s Greatest Deception, that the dolphins are always appearing as though they are smiling. but in fact, they are under alot of stress. stress that could lead them to death. and 2 have already died.

RWS has already made alot of money in the first half of this year (S$500m if i remember correctly), and they made this much without having the dolphins around. and they will continue to make this much without the dolphins. they dont need the dolphins to make money. so i think now it is just a matter of who wins this fight. and we need help. staying silent does not help. if you understand the situation and realise that captive dolphins is pure animal torture, then speak up.

Like this:

the sharing session by Dr Jane Goodall made me wonder why though i was passionate abt some things, it never managed to inspire others. how did she manage to inspire and why couldnt i spread the word… on sunday, i was with ACRES at the ‘Save the dolphins” campaign. the campaign finally managed to be at a place assessible for me, and on a date when i was available. so, i went.

RWS’s capture and containment of 27 wild dolphins has already resulted in the death of 2 of them. the remaining 25 are still being trained, and RWS still has not responded to National and International questions with regards to the welfare of the dolphins. we are trying to get RWS to release the dolphins.

at several instances when i spoke to families, primary sch children especially, i saw them cringe when i explained the plight of the dolphins. for adults who didnt realise what enclosures does to the dolphins, i explained the consequences. many ppl took the photo petition because they believed it harms the dolpins more than it entertains the public.

at several instances also, i felt like tearing up when i shared how much the dolphins suffer. one stranger who was touched by my passion said really encouraging things to me. she stroked my back and said, “your passion is inspiring”. and that was the first time someone ever said that to me. i cant say i felt like Jane Goodall then, but i can sure imagine how the ppl she inspired must have felt. i inspired someone. that day, i made a difference. RWS may not release the dolphins, but at least i have educated several ppl about whats actually happening to the dolphins. now, more ppl know abt the things that happen to captive dolphins. the next generation of leaders are being educated. as long as the children believe in the negative impact, we can change this. one day.

i believe we will.

and ive realised that when you believe in something, it will come across to others. and ppl can be inspired. and the passion can change ppl’s ideaologies.

RWS, please let the dolphins go.

if you want to see the dolphins, please take a yacht trip out to the sea.

how can dolphins that swim so freely be happy when kept in a glass enclosure? if you really want to be education on dolphin behaviour, go study them where they are at home. dont buy into RWS’s explanation.